Sports Rugby

There are a few basic ways to put points on the rugby scoreboard. They are the try, penalty try, conversion, penalty goal and the drop goal (also known as field goal or drop kick).

Watching rugby makes much more sense and becomes far more enjoyable when you understand the rugby scoring system. Once explained it is quite simple to follow and once you grasp the points value for each activity you will find the game more exciting.

Ways to Score in Rugby

The conversion and the penalty goal require a specialist kicker to place the ball and kick it between the vertical goal posts and over the crossbar of the goal posts. The kicker may choose between using a kicking tee, pile of sand or sawdust to kick the ball from. He steps back and then runs up to the ball before kicking between the posts.

A field goal (also known as drop goal, or drop kick) is different to a conversion in that the player drops the ball from his hands and attempts to kick the ball over the crossbar and between the vertical goal posts during the run of play. It is a specialist skill, and field goals are rare – they take perfect timing and lots of practice to master.

A referee can award a penalty try if he believes the defending team deliberately fouled the attacking team in order to prevent them finishing a move that would have resulted in a try being scored. The official phrase is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.

To indicate this, the referee runs to a central point beneath the crossbar of the goalposts, raises his arm and blows his whistle. The attacking team gets the opportunity of a conversion kick with the opportunity to add points to the score.

Gathering Rugby Points

Scoring a try is the best way to rack up points in rugby. A try is scored when the attacking team crosses the defending teams goal-line and puts the ball on the ground in their in-goal area. When a try is scored the referee raises his arm and blows his whistle. Both the try and the penalty try are worth 5 points each.

When a try is scored the referee stands at the point where the try was scored and points in a line back up the field parallel to the sidelines. The goal kicker can take the conversion attempt at any point along that line.

Usually the kicker takes the conversion attempt somewhere he/she feels comfortable around 20 – 30 metres from the goalposts. Kicking a conversion adds 2 points to the try scoring side. When a team successfully kicks a penalty goal they are awarded 3 points.

When a team is making a conversion attempt, the defending team must stand on or behind the goal line. As the kicker prepares to take the conversion, the players are allowed to rush the kicker as he begins his run at the ball.

The tally for a converted try to a total of 7 points (5 for the try and 2 for the conversion).

Rugby Scores

A top class goal kicker in your team, with a specialist field goal kicker or two, most certainly makes a great start for any team to get their best rugby score. It also puts pressure on any team they play.

For any team to reach the top there is a requirement for an outstanding goal kicker to be in their team. Goal kickers are immensely valuable as there are many indiscretions in the play of a normal rugby game.

Any of these indiscretions being made in a team’s defensive area of play gives an opportunity for their opponents to score valuable points against them. A kicker who can successfully kick a goal from any area of the field immediately puts huge pressure on the opposing team.